


A Steppe Affair

by Reily96



Series: Menphina Helps Those Who Help Themselves [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Biting, F/M, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Fun with Fantasy Anatomies, Purring, References to PTSD, Sex, Smut, Teasing, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, also post Stormblood, at least for her, cause our boy Stinky has it guys, hey guess what the mc still isn't a wol, i guess also some discussion of systemic racism in eorzea, like right after, mentions of how Ishgard is way too dtf, post level 70 DRG job quest, ship tag updated for ease of access but inaccurate! Not a WoL!, three azure dragoons, wtf is a beta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:28:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24613795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reily96/pseuds/Reily96
Summary: Rumi Kalycoh hasn't seen Estinien since he left Ishgard. It seems all too serendipitous when she sees him again in helping Orn Khai, and she's not one to let a chance like this slip her by. After all, they had unfinished business in Ishgard...
Relationships: Estinien Wyrmblood/Original Character(s), Warrior of Light/Estinien Wyrmblood
Series: Menphina Helps Those Who Help Themselves [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710415
Kudos: 11





	A Steppe Affair

_I’m going to actually kill you, Colette._ Rumi thought to herself as the trio of newly anointed Crimson Dragoons found their way out of Bardam’s Mettle. That Estinien also happened to find out about Faunehm and offered his aid in bringing her to her senses was more than welcome to the Miqo’te. But she knew, in his usual fashion, there’d be a brief farewell and he’d be off. And this being the first time in quite a while that she had seen him, she was very eager to be _alone_ with him. A concept that her friend didn’t seem to be getting no matter how many hints she had been dropping.

The female Elezen cocked her head to the side, looking confused. “Ya’sure you don’t want a teleport? I can pay the fee for you, t’ain’t that bloody ‘spensive.”

Colette’s neck was so long, so nice and _chokeable_. “Colette, it has nyothing to do with the aetheryte costs…” the Keeper was straining to keep her voice level. “I would just like to accompany Estinien since he is walking.”

“Rumi, it’s soundin’ t’me like you want me to bugger off.” Colette sounded a bit like a wounded puppy as she said it. And Rumi did feel little bad about it at first, but they’d also been going in circles like this for longer than she would’ve liked. Exasperated, she looked over her shoulder at Estinien, who was trailing closely behind them. She pouted upon seeing a small amused smile upon his expression. At this rate, by the time they would leave Onsal Hakair, Colette would still be the third wheel. The sun was already beginning its descent below the horizon, and the Keeper was losing patience quickly.

An idea finally struck Rumi, however, and she responded, “I had just considered that you would want to go ahead and let Alberic know that we’ve succeeded in Orn Khai’s endeavor. I just want to make sure our stalwart companion here doesn’t get eaten by wandering smilodons.” She glanced over her shoulder again with a smug smile, seeing that Estinien was giving her a look akin to insult.

Colette let out a hearty laugh, “I could see’im getting chewed up n’ spat out!”

The look of insult Estinien wore then passed to the other Elezen, “This must be what the boy feels like, having jokes made at his expense so often.”

The Miqo’te’s smile didn’t drop, but she turned her attention back to Colette. “Really, I’m not trying to be rid of you, but one of us should go on ahead to let Alberic know… And I would really like to catch up with Estinien. So please, Colette?” Now she was practically pleading with her, hoping that if she framed it less like she wanted to spend some quality, intimate time alone with Estinien, and more like someone just had to go on ahead out of necessity, that the other female dragoon would fall for it.

Pausing, Colette seemed to dwell on it before smiling and saying, “Right then, I’ll go on ahead then!” She leaned down to Rumi’s cat-like ear then and whispered, “It’s a right shame, was hopin’ I could help ya chat him up!” To which Rumi could only sheepishly smile in return since her friend was so, so, blissfully ignorant.

Before Estinien had left Ishgard, Rumi had often visited him on her own in the hopes of continuing their previous liaison… But the fates were cruel, and something had always happened to interrupt them. Colette seemed to be one of the biggest interruptions over half of the time. So absolutely clueless was she, that one time she had walked in with Rumi and Estinien mid-embrace and clothes in disarray and all the girl could say was, “Oh no! How’d your clothes end up all tangled? You lot need help?” Not only was it mortifying, it was also the first time that Rumi felt the strong urge to commit physical violence upon her friend’s complete inability to read a very obvious mood. She didn’t understand how a woman whose primary deity was Menphina, Goddess of Love, could be so incredibly dense. 

After the Elezen woman teleported off with a wave, the Miqo’te let out the heaviest sigh of relief. She made a mental note to make it up to her friend later with a rolanberry cheesecake before she looked over to Estinien nearby with a grin. He rolled his eyes, but his amused smile returned even as walked on ahead. Happily, she quickly caught up to him and fell into a quick gait to match the pace set by his significantly longer legs. It seemed like it’d been an age since she last saw him, she’d almost forgotten how much taller he was compared to her. Her heart skipped a beat and face heated as she recalled that sitting upon him often solved any issues of height difference. The Azim Steppe seemed much warmer than it had mere moments ago…

“So! The Eyes of Nidhogg!” She had blurted it out in an attempt to distract herself from her own thoughts. She couldn’t imagine that upon finding out the Eyes were still about that Estinien wouldn’t attempt to track them down. “Have you any clue what became of them?”

“I have to admit to some surprise that they had gone unnoticed by the Warriors of Light in the Menagerie. Their aether was expended, but I left naught to chance. The Eyes are no more.” Although Estinien outwardly looked stoic, Rumi could hear the undertones of relief and contentment in his voice. She could even see it in the way he held himself before they all had confronted Faunehm. There was less tension in his posture, a barely audible lightness in his voice that simply hadn’t been present in all the time she had known him. A weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and she could only imagine the sense of liberation that came with it.

“That’s good…” The statement may well have been unnecessary, but relief also echoed in her own voice. There would always be some lingering trauma from Nidhogg, especially with Estinien, but now no one else would suffer due to him. Words escaped her, because how did one follow up on that? But the sky continued to darken, and while smilodons actually wouldn’t be a threat to either of them, it would be a shame to be interrupted by them. Her eyes rested upon the small river passing through a rock shelter at the Towering Still, and she took his hand, softly pulling it as she said, “Come now, we can make a camp there for the night. I find it’s better nyat to tempt fate on the Steppe.”

With no resistance on his part, the rock shelter proved to be a good choice for a makeshift campsite. The bushes just outside of the shelter had proven to be good enough to start a fire where they shared what rations they had. Night had fallen completely, and she could see the stars in the sky outside of the shelter. Inwardly she nodded to herself, and even though she felt as if her stomach had filled with fluttering butterflies, she pulled herself up and began setting up her bedroll.

And his.

Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, Rumi didn’t bother at all looking to him to see if he had any reactions to it. If he did, he’d have to voice them, and since he didn’t, she could only make an assumption he didn’t mind that she placed the spread-out rolls one right next to the other. The fluttering butterflies were now going mad within her as she finished laying them out, and she began to unbuckle her armor and set it off to the side. She still found herself unable to face his general direction, even though she knew that she had been in far more compromising situations with him before. This wouldn’t be the first time she was intending to instigate something. The Miqo’te definitely felt his eyes upon her, watching every movement that she made.

It was when all her armor was peeled off and she removed her shirt that she finally heard him speak, “Rumi, if I were to hazard a guess, I think you have intentions to pursue me.” A throwback to a conversation so long ago in the Mists. Her face burned a bit as she glanced over her shoulder to see him wearing a teasing smirk. With a twitch of her ears and a small pout, she stood herself up to pull down her pants and responded, “Well, are you going to keep that armor on? I doubt it would be very comfortable for either of us.” Estinien’s expression didn’t change as he began to remove his own armor. Seeing him do so released some tension inside of her that she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, and she sat back down on the cots with some measure of minor relief, though she wasn’t entirely sure why.

After he kicked off his greaves, Rumi patted the space on the bedroll next to her. He sat himself down, and she quickly sat atop him. This was familiar to her. She could feel her heart beginning to beat fast. A part of her expected a random intrusion to walk in on them, but in this rock shelter it was just the two of them.

Her lips curled upwards mischievously, and she brought a hand up to stroke his gaunt cheek. “So… on your journey of self-discovery, would I have happened to have crossed your thoughts?”

“Yes.”

She reached for the bottom hem of his shirt and pulled it up. “Good things, I hope?”

He made no effort to resist, raising his arms to allow her to remove the article of clothing. As it came up over his head, his snow-white hair fell to his shoulders in a tangle and he discarded the shirt carelessly. Rumi brushed the hair from his face and saw Estinien still retained that playful smirk as she felt his hands rest upon her hips. “I have decided that trying to dissuade you from your interest in me might serve only to make you more of a nuisance.”

The Miqo’te frowned playfully, “How unkind of you.” But her smile was quick to return, less mischievous and more genuine. She pressed her forehead to his, “A correct assumption, however.”

“Rumi.” The humor in his voice had left. Puzzled, she backed away slightly. There was something else he had wanted to say, something important. “I cannot give you stability.”

Stability? It took her a moment to process his words. Stability? It wasn’t as if either of them was going to hang their lances at any moment, so she was certain he wasn’t referring to anything like that. But her mind was quick to recall her visitations back in Ishgard, the chirurgeon warning her of his “rough nights,” waking and screaming bloody murder against Nidhogg. In the present, she could see the physical scars upon him from years of war with dragons. Every ilm of him seemed marked in some way, evidence of the years of toil and battle he’d seen… And the shadows under his eyes; shadows he’d always have. The death of his family, most of his life in battles against dragons, possession by Nidhogg… The wyrm may have physically been no more but he would never truly be gone, living in the Elezen’s nightmares. Nidhogg had left him with no physical scars, but an abundance of mental.

Yet she would not be deterred. “I would be there support you, even through the worst.” Her smile returned, “Surely you can’t have forgotten, Estinien. I love you.” And how could she not? Growing up in the Twelveswood as a Keeper of the Moon was miserable – something she hadn’t realized until after she had left it. More often than not, the cause of her misery had been Gridanian residents, frequently looking down upon her because, while forestborn, she was not Gridanian. And she was also a Keeper, a “poacher,” an “interloper.”

But Estinien didn’t care for the boundaries of race or class. Initial surprise at more than one Azure Dragoon aside, he had in fact welcomed an outsider to the ranks of dragoons and encouraged her growth. Briefly her mind recounted after the debacle at the Steel Vigil, when Alberic had insisted she officially take up formal ranks in Ishgard’s military, she had still been met with some hesitation – an outsider, in Ishgard’s dragoons? It was as unheard of as having three Azure Dragoons, and those other dragoons who’d not been witness to her trials had been quick to dismiss her. She never felt the need to prove herself, and Colette was always quick to defend her, but it certainly didn’t make the Miqo’te feel welcome. But when Estinien had returned after what she could only imagine to be a good think about how Nidhogg had taken advantage of him, he’d been quick to correct any naysayers as to her status in the ranks of the dragoons. She would never forget the reaction that was had after he had said, “Outsider she may be, but her skills with a lance mark her my equal as an Azure Dragoon. I cannot say that you, however, can tell the back end of a lance from the front.” Always, he had looked to her as an equal both on and off the field, and perhaps it was that moment that she had felt the faintest inklings of her affection for him.

There was something in his gaze as it pierced her own, as if he was searching for the truth in her words. It was perhaps too simple of an answer, Rumi had thought. Love, after all, would not cure sleepless nights or triggered reactions. But she had meant what she said, and she could only guess that he had recognized her assurance when his overall expression softened, and a small but genuine smile graced his thin lips. The sight of it sent a chill up her spine, especially when she had realized it was because in doing so he had shown her something reserved for very few people: vulnerability. “It seems I was careless to have forgotten.”

An impish grin accompanied the thrill of excitement she had felt at his words. A familiar chant echoed in her mind: _Menphina helps those who help themselves_. Rumi pulled him in close and kissed him, open mouthed in invitation. An invitation accepted, their tongues twirling together, but with none of the fevered hurriedness of their previous half-finished encounters. Still needy, but slow, letting heat build in each other.

When they dared separate, the Miqo’te was quick trail her lips to Estinien’s neck. There was a hitch in his breath, a hiss of pleasure she was all too happy to get from him. In her time at Ishgard she had heard that Elezen could be stimulated by attentions to their necks… something she never had the opportunity to test due to the bruising he’d had there from Nidhogg’s possession. But there were bruises no longer, and she was glad to hear and feel that every nip and suckle she laid upon him made him shudder and cuss in the Fury’s name.

She grazed her fangs against his neck, holding him close as she trailed upwards again to his elongated ear. She nipped at the lobe, reveling in another one of his cusses to Halone, and whispered breathlessly, “So cruel, Estinien, to leave a lady wanting so badly without even a word of warning…”

“Cruel, am I?” The amusement was evident in his voice. She had an inkling he was up to something as she felt his thumbs massaging her hips, but his movement was quick as one of his hands slid around to the base of her tail, right where fur met bare flesh. It was her turn to suck in a breath then, soft, stuttering moans pouring out of her mouth as she felt his fingers rub the connecting point of her tail. Rumi arched into him as she felt an electric current of euphoria rush up her spine. “It is true I am not known for an abundance of kindness,” his fingers traced the bumps of her vertebrates before quickly diving down to her tail base again and she released a cry of surprised pleasure. His lips roughly traced along her jaw, headily whispering, “I suppose I should learn to repay your kindnesses, at the very least.”

A breathy chuckle escaped her, as he apparently decided his first act of repayment to her would be to lay his own ministrations upon her neck. Despite her being the one with fangs, she’d found he was a bit rougher, much more eager to mark her neck with bites instead of suckles. Rumi never opposed it, finding the slight pain actually drove her further to excitement. She held Estinien close, one of her hands tangling in his hair while her fingertips gently glided over his pointed ear. If there was one benefit to their would-be trysts in Ishgard, it was that each one of them had quickly found some benefits to the other’s unique anatomical adaptations. The sensitivity of the base of her tail, his reactions to soft touches to his ears… Each touch to her was like a levinbolt of stacking gratification, and she could only hope that her own touch elicited a similar reaction in him.

She felt his hands shift; the one that had been holding her steady by the hip now rested at the small of her back, while the other had abandoned its teasing of the base of her tail to make quick work of the tie of her bandeau, quickly tossing the garment aside. The shock of the cool air hitting her bare breasts barely had time to register as the Elezen took one his hand, playfully massaging it. It took her a moment to realize the echo of a sound bouncing off the walls of the rock shelter was her own moan, a realization quickly disregarded as she felt his tongue trail along her collar bone and further downwards, until it was circling the nipple of her free breast.

This was an entirely new sensation for Rumi. She had expected Estinien to fondle her breasts, as he often did in these situations; if their small size had ever been unappealing to him, he certainly never made it apparent. But she had never expected to feel his tongue flicking at her nipple, his teeth to graze softly against it, or even for him to suckle at her breast. It was no wonder he had taken the time steady her, for even though her tail was no longer gripped, her sense of balance was leaving her.

Fury above, she’d no idea how it was he always seemed to manage to make her melt. The part of her that wasn’t completely swathed in the haze of pleasure he brought upon her felt a bit indignant about it, really. Almost as if this was some sort of battle of wills, and she was losing horribly. Steeling her resolve, she pulled herself up enough so that Estinien had to abandon his ministrations upon her breasts, but she was quick to pull him into another impassioned kiss that he seemed all too eager to return. And yet again when they broke, she brought her lips along his neck, but instead of a cuss to Halone or a sharp intake of breath at her attack of his sensitive neck, he took note. “Purring? Do you often purr in the throes of passion?”

The Miqo’te hadn’t noticed, but now that he’d said it, she could feel the thrum in her throat. She had thought the dull roar was from how fast the blood was rushing through her with her quickened heartbeat, not a purr. It wasn’t a question she could exactly answer properly – she’d only ever felt his touch, and only before in hurried attempts. Any times she had noted her purring in the past had certainly not been during those times, but far more innocent and mild occasions. She held him close, taking note of the scars upon his back, of the tangles of his hair, all the while laying her own soft bite upon his neck. Words were difficult to parse; her mind didn’t want to think, only to _feel_ him.

When the words finally came, they spilled out without much thought, “Only for you… Fury above, only you. I’ve dreamt of your touch, _craved_ it, unable to satisfy myself because it’s nyat _you_.” Her breaths were hot and heavy against his neck, and she found herself fidgeting upon his lap, her body seeming to beg of him relief from the desperation betwixt her legs. She could feel him beneath her, hot and stiff, seemingly just as aroused as she was…

“Craving, you say?” The sly cadence in his voice brought back that little indignant voice in Rumi’s head. But before she could react to it, she’d felt the Elezen’s hand snake downwards to the last piece of her smallclothes that remained, his fingers dipping under the fabric. A gasp escaped her as she felt him thumb her swelling clit and one of his fingers slipped in between her folds. “I have been rude to leave you so wanting, after all. And clearly you _are_ craving given just how damp you are. Allow me sate it.”

“C-cruel!”

“I must be cruel to be kind, _my lady_.”

This time it was she who had cursed in the Fury’s name in her unpreparedness for this assault upon her sex. It wasn’t at all what she had expected, but the Twelve knew that she couldn’t reject it even if his teasing was unbearable. To feel that rough, long finger slide so easily inside of her as his thumb encircled her clit made her feel as if she had lost all sense of self. She gripped him yet tighter through her cries of pleasure, fearing that letting go would send her tumbling gracelessly. How he was managing to make her feel _so good_ that she was losing her sense of self was beyond her. And just when she had thought that maybe she could regain a sense of balance, another finger had been inserted inside of her, curling upwards into her as his thumb continued to stimulate her bud. A wave of euphoria washed over her as she cried out, her back arching as she felt that familiar sensation of levinbolts surging through her – except this time magnified by a number her pleasure drunk brain couldn’t even begin to guess.

When the haze had died down, the first thing that Rumi had realized was that she was upon her back, resting upon their bedrolls. When her vision came back into focus, it was to see that Estinien had taken this brief interlude to rid himself of his trousers and smallclothes. And apparently, he was also eager to see her rid of what remained of her own, hastily pulling the panties down her legs. She offered no resistance; in fact, she kept her legs closer together simply for the ease of their removal. And once they were tossed away without a care in the world, she again gave no opposition as he spread her legs open, rested a hand against her hip, or even when she saw that familiar smirk upon his face as he said, “A true calico.”

No doubt her face was already reddened from all they’d done so far, but his comment made her face burn just a little more. Any playful offense she may have taken, however, quickly died down when she had realized something. This was the first time either of them had been completely nude in each other’s presence. She’d never seen his completely unclothed silhouette, all his lean, scarred muscle… Fury above, she’d always found him attractive, always imagined a patchwork puzzle from their various encounters… but to see Estinien completely bare before her in reality? To her, her imagination could not have failed her more. Not because it was inaccurate, but because actuality just felt so much more intimate than her mind could have thought. A complete dropping of their guard, both of exposed to each other and completely vulnerable.

Curiously she noted his gaze had followed the hand he kept at her hip, which began to slowly travel up to her waist. His fingers pressed into her flesh, tracing her own lithe musculature; something in the intensity of his scrutiny of her. Further upwards did his touch trail, his thumb grazing her breast, but only in pure observation. There was something almost reverent in his actions, Rumi felt… Perhaps it was partly her own ego, but she did wonder about this man above her who most certainly had more experience than her. Estinien’s general disposition prior to Nidhogg’s defeat gave her the impression of a man who made no time for any relationships beyond physical gratification – more of a method of stress relief than anything else. Had he ever taken the time to _look_ at any previous partners, she wondered? Is that why he was examining her so intently?

It was easy for her to tell when his inspection of her was done, she could see the glint in his eyes, the subtle change in expression that divulged his excitement. Her stomach knotted, the Miqo’te was suddenly very aware at just how far they’d gone and how nothing really had come to interrupt. As the Elezen positioned himself, Rumi’s mind found itself internally pressing the panic button. Quickly she pressed a hand against his chest, “W-wait!”

Estinien gave her a look somewhere in between annoyed and puzzled. She felt her face burning even more, “I-I don’t want you to stop I just… I’m anxious… I have nyever…”

He forked an eyebrow as her words sunk in. It seemed to take him a moment to catch on to what she was saying, and when it finally did register, he seemed more puzzled than before. “ _Really_?”

Embarrassed, she turned her gaze from his, feeling a pout form. “D-don’t make fun… I told you before… it has only been you.” And it was the truth. For all of her unfinished liaisons with him, she had never tried to satisfy herself with anyone else. All city-states had their fair share of romantic drama, but Ishgard always seemed to put the others to shame with its rumors of paternity questions and affairs at every corner. The Twelve knew many had propositioned Rumi during her time there, with her being an “exotic” Miqo’te – such a rarity in the cold north. Yet even if both her parents had never told her to watch out for “tail chasers,” she would have refused anyways. As with so many other places and people, many just regarded her as less than a person. There was no substituting for Estinien.

Even so, now that she was here with him, at this point of no return with him, she was still nervous. She had heard things, heard tell it could be painful…

“Hold onto me, then.” Relief settled in at his words. Her gaze turned to him again, a silent thanks in her expression. Wrapping her arms around him, she settled her head into the crook of his neck and shoulder. Anxiety spiked again as she felt him press up against her, but she simply took a breath and whispered a confirmation. Slowly he slid in, eliciting a gasp from her. It was not what she had expected, how _easily_ he was able to enter her, how tightly she could feel her walls grasping his cock, as if begging him, pulling him to enter further. She released a stuttering moan as he sheathed inside of her fully, still gripping him tightly as this unfamiliar but entirely not painful sensation poured over her. Perhaps it was because she was still so sensitive after his fingers had pleasured her so thoroughly, but _this_. Yes, she wanted more of this.

“K-keep going,” she said breathily. He acquiesced to her request, slowly thrusting into her again. Again she took another sharp breath, but as he continued his slow pace her outward breaths turned to moans of delight. What control, she had thought. She could feel him inside of her, twitching and desperate to increase the pace, yet he held back. If he was waiting for permission of some sort, she had no idea, but as she fell into his rhythm and allowed her hips to buck into his, the pace naturally seemed gain in tempo. Gradually she found the volume of her voice raising, unable to control the sounds that poured from her. Nor was she alone, for while she was louder, she had definitely heard his own low groans and grunts of indulgence.

Echoes bounced off of the walls of the cave as she cried out when his thrusts not only came faster, but harder. Skin slapping against skin joined the chorus of her euphoria filled moans and curses to the Fury. Rumi’s core tightened with each new thrust, her nails digging into his flesh and prompting the occasional snarled hiss from him at her desperate clawing. She bit into Estinien’s shoulder, keening desperately into him as he continued to drive harder and further into her. Gods above, if he kept up the punishing pace, she felt she’d unravel completely – and oh how she desperately wanted to. To feel herself come undone by him, to go over the edge and take him with her into the depths of bliss.

Inside of her she could feel him twitching, and instinct had her lock her legs around his hips, drawing him closer and deeper into her. The Keeper was beginning to feel it again, edging closer to the peak of pleasure. Her legs tightened around him as he roughly thrust into her one last time with a snarl, striking her in just the right spot for her climax to wash over her, crying out his name as she felt him fill her.

Their breaths were heavy and ragged upon their conclusion, the air heavy and stinking of sex. Rumi let her arms fall to her sides as Estinien pulled out of her. Stars were still swirling in her vision as she gazed at the ceiling, mind racing and recalling every bit of what had just happened. Of their curses to the Fury as their sweat plastered bodies ground together in rough and tumble lovemaking…

It was far too sobering when she felt a cold, wet rag slide upon her nethers, likely fresh from the stream flowing their nest of a cave. “Fury’s tits!” She cried out, managing to bring herself up slightly upon her tired arms. But Estinien was unperturbed by her outburst, cleaning their mess from her with his amused smirk. Rumi pouted, but allowed herself to fall back down upon the bedrolls as he finished up.

So when he said, “I fear I lost myself; I should not have come inside you as I did. I… I apologize.” She had been taken a bit aback. Blankly she blinked for a few moments as she mulled over his words.

“Ah… Um, think nyothing of it… I… My legs were… I fear I hadn’t thought that far myself…” The words bumbled from her mouth awkwardly, her face reddening again at the thought. It was definitely a thing that would need to be more careful about in the future…

The future…

She sat up quickly, seeing that he had just finished cleaning his own self up and was now rinsing the rag off in the stream. He placed it near the fire to dry off when he was done with it, picking up their fallen shirts and then sitting down by her. Rumi was quick to put her shirt back on, as was he, but for the moment, she was done with his responsible clean up. The Miqo’te dropped down onto their cots, placing a hand on his shoulder and dragging her Elezen down with her. Quick to take his hand into hers, combing her fingers into his and nestling herself so that she was flush to his side. Peering at his face, she saw a mixture of surprise and, dare she say it, a degree of embarrassment.

“You can’t disappear on me this time. I’m still a Keeper of the Moon, and I still sleep so lightly during the night. If you try to wander off, I fear I will just have to drag you back. The nyext time you leave, you have to give me a proper farewell.” Her tone was matter of fact, but her smile was bright.

A flush came over him that reminded her of the year previous when she had confessed her interest in him in the Churning Mists. An unusual thing, but endearing, especially when she’d realized it had reached his elongated ears. Rumi chuckled, letting her free hand trace the side of his face, brushing that snow-white hair back. But his recovery was quick, and that small, genuine smile crept upon him. “I would be a fool to attempt to sneak away from you, wouldn’t I?”

“Oh yes.” She confirmed, closing her eyes and resting her head against his shoulder, a soft and content purr thrumming in her throat. Estinien shifted ever so slightly, and she felt his lips brush against her forehead briefly. The butterflies she had thought gone returned, fluttering in her stomach. When the day had begun, she had only expected to reunite a pair of dragon lovers long lost to each other. That it would take such a twist to see that she found a lover herself, she’d no idea. The dark corners of her mind drew a parallel, however, knowing that somehow or another Nidhogg would rear his spectral head to haunt Estinien, much like he’d haunted Faunehm. But right now, there were no ghostly wyrms. In this cave that stunk of sex in the Azim Steppe, it was just Rumi Kalycoh and Estinien Wyrmblood, enjoying each other’s company.

**Author's Note:**

> Man oh man, I don't know how self-published smut authors on Amazon do it. I'm too fuckin ace for this shit. Unrelated to that, but I gotta say I find it a little curious how many folks seem to forget that, as hilarious as it is that Estinien is a Grumpy Jumpy, he's not completely humorless. And we see it a lot more in post HW. He's bad at feelings, but does have a soft side. He's just a goddamn cactus so it's all on the inside. 
> 
> Anyways, thank you for coming along on this ride of my self-indulgent not-WoL getting together with the Grumpy Jumpy. Now to write about something that does involve my goddamn WoL.


End file.
